Overall Impression
Battle Chef Brigade is a charming animated cooking game. Gameplay includes both combat and puzzle components . It’s a simple but effective offering. The illustrated characters and environments are a design aesthetic that adds to the overall appeal. The story is light hearted, melodramatic, funny, and quirky. This is the type of game you can chill out and allow it to refresh your soul. You can just jump in and learn the mechanics and have a great time.
Target Audience
Gamers that enjoy a fun adventure with some puzzle and combat mechanics that also connect with the overall aesthetic and story will enjoy this the most. It’s a cozy type game in that it’s relaxing and doesn’t take itself too seriously. The combat is simple but with enough moves to keep it interesting. Puzzles are easy to learn but surprisingly fun to work through and do become more challenging as you progress.
Gameplay
The overall gameplay is a mix of 2 activities. In order to cook a dish you first need to acquire ingredients. To do this you will need to gather components via combat. Combat is fairly straightforward. There are simple physical and magic attacks combined with some special moves. There’s nothing too fancy or intricate here but there’s also enough to keep things interesting. Mechanics are introduced slowly as to not overwhelm a new player. The attack combinations you eventual gain access to are fun to pull off. There’s also a basic item system that allows you to customize your setup for each battle.
The other core gameplay component is cooking dishes. After you’ve collected ingredients, its time to cook! Each dish you make is a type of puzzle. The ingredients come in different types (and colours). When you align 3 of the same type, they can merge. Most of the puzzles will ask you to perform different objectives based on this core concept. Puzzles are initially easy to learn and get more challenging as you progress. There are also different varieties of puzzles as you train throughout the game to keep things interesting. Overall the 2 core gameplay mechanics complement each other well giving more variety to gameplay throughout the experience.
Art Design & Story
One of the standout features of the game is the art direction. The world and characters are illustrated in a style that is reminiscent of an old school animated TV show. This works well for the overall vibe of the game and significantly adds to its charm and appeal. Furthermore, the main protagonist is full of personality. The narrative doesn’t take itself too seriously. The main character is quirky and expressive and this all adds to the cozy feel of the game. The story itself is also fairly straightforward and gets into the main points without too much setup or explanation. Finally, the voice acting brings to life the characters and adds to the overall enjoyment of the experience.
Challenges
One of the challenges of the game is that it is a fairly simple adventure. This isn’t a flaw in itself but by understanding what type of game it is you’ll be better able to know if this is for you. This is after all an indie game, so it makes sense to offer a more focused experience. However, those that are looking for more depth in the combat or puzzle experience may be left wanting just a bit more.
Another challenge is that during a match you can’t swap out your setup. Each battle usually focuses on certain ingredients so being able to switch out your gear helps you adapt to each challenge. It’s a small detail that would really help especially on more challenging battles where having the right setup will make a significant difference.
Closing Thoughts
Battle Chef Brigade is a unique cooking game with combat and puzzle gameplay elements. It’s animated style and cozy feel to the world and gameplay make it a title that you can pick up, relax and allow it to nourish your soul. If you’re looking for a chill game that you can enjoy in your downtime and you like the aesthetic and gameplay elements, this may be a title to put on your wish list.
Thanks
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GAME DETAILS
PLATFORMS: PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC
RELEASE: 2017
DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER: Trinket Studios
GENRE/TAGS: Action Adventure, Puzzle, Combat, Cooking, Cozy, PVE
TARGET AUDIENCE: Gamers that enjoy a cozy action/puzzle adventure
IMAGE CREDIT: Trinket Studios
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